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Associated Press
9 hours ago
- Health
- Associated Press
Study: Storm-Driven Blackouts Left Thousands Without Care As Clinics Closed Across Southeast
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Aug. 18, 2025 /3BL/ - Power outages from Hurricanes Helene and Milton forced temporary closures at more than half of safety-net health care providers surveyed across Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina, according to a comprehensive new study released today by Direct Relief. Read the full report here. Among 80 community health centers and free and charitable clinics responding to the survey, 43 organizations (54%) said power loss forced the temporary closure of at least one site. The closures led to nearly 28,000 canceled or delayed patient visits — an outcome that researchers have tied to elevated longer-term mortality rates. The survey also found widespread financial losses and medicine spoilage that compounded the health impact. Key findings Bedrock providers left vulnerable 'Health centers and clinics are often the bedrock health care providers in their communities,' said Sara Rossi, managing director of the Health Resiliency Fund at Direct Relief. 'Without power, their ability to deliver critical, even life-saving services is compromised, leaving vulnerable patients at serious risk.' 'When power goes out, I'm in scramble mode to save vaccines. Without electricity, my X-ray, ultrasound and health records are down — and patient care stops,' said John Newman, executive director and chief medical officer at Volunteers in Medicine in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Widespread backup power gaps The survey revealed alarming gaps in backup power infrastructure at safety-net health care facilities. Unlike hospitals, which are legally required to maintain backup generators and fuel supplies, community health centers and free and charitable clinics face no such mandates. Severe financial and medical impacts The financial toll was significant. Twenty-three organizations reported revenue losses totaling $12.9 million while they were closed. Among FQHCs that lost revenue, the average loss was $803,000 per organization. Nearly one-fourth (19) of the providers were forced to discard temperature-sensitive medicines and vaccines when their refrigerators lost power. One clinic reported losing $60,000 worth of vaccines alone. These losses not only carried financial costs but also reduced availability of critical treatments such as insulin for diabetics and Tdap vaccines needed to prevent tetanus after hurricane-related injuries. Twenty-five organizations suffered infrastructure damage totaling more than $3.1 million. Patients hit hardest The closures disproportionately affected vulnerable populations who rely on safety-net health care providers. FQHCs serve more than 32 million patients nationwide — nearly 1 in 10 U.S. residents — including 1 in 5 rural residents and 1 in 3 people living in poverty. Among patients at free and charitable clinics, 84% lack health insurance. These patients often have higher rates of chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, making them especially vulnerable during and after disasters. Many also face barriers such as multiple jobs, language differences and transportation challenges that make rescheduling appointments difficult. Following the storms, 38% of surveyed organizations reported surges in patient demand, with some seeing increases of more than 50% as displaced residents sought care while other facilities remained closed. Link to rising hurricane-related deaths The study's findings take on added significance in light of research on hurricanes' long-term health effects. A 2024 study in Nature found that excess deaths attributable to hurricanes can be 300 or more times higher than immediate fatalities, with health care disruptions among the key drivers. The research tracked all 501 hurricanes hitting the continental United States between 1930 and 2015. While the average hurricane caused 24 immediate deaths, storms led to between 7,170 and 11,430 additional deaths in the 20 years after landfall. 'These outages don't just close clinics for a day — they ripple into long-term health risks,' Rossi said. Climate change amplifying threats Beyond hurricanes, the survey showed that power reliability is an ongoing challenge for safety-net clinics. More than 35% of organizations said unreliable power is a persistent concern in their area, with nearly 1 in 5 losing power at least once per quarter. 'It just adds to the uncertainty and the anxiety collectively around the state. The threat is very real and very widespread,' said Gianna Van Winkle, director of emergency management programs at the Florida Association of Community Health Centers, which helped conduct the survey. The 2024 tornado season was the second-worst on record, with 1,791 tornadoes striking the United States—many spawned by hurricane activity. About the survey Direct Relief surveyed 394 FQHCs and free and charitable clinics across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina — representing most FQHCs in the region and 84% of estimated free and charitable clinics. The 80 respondents included 25 FQHCs and 55 free and charitable clinics operating about 500 clinical sites combined. Note to editors: Read the full report. Additional data and interviews with health care providers are available upon request. About Direct Relief Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organization, active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries, with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies. Direct Relief provides medical assistance when and where it is needed most—without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. Media Contact: Paul Sherer, [email protected]. Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Direct Relief
The Star
06-07-2025
- Climate
- The Star
One dies in violent storm pounding Milan
MILAN (Reuters) -One person was killed by a falling tree near Milan, local firefighters said on Sunday, as a powerful storm battered the northern Italian city after days of high temperatures. The 63-year-old woman died in the town of Robecchetto con Induno, west of Milan, as she was returning from a walk with two other people who were injured in the incident and have been hospitalised, the firefighters said. Firefighters have dealt with about 50 incidents so far, with another 37 still pending. Most involve dangerous trees, flooded basements and taverns, and advertising billboards torn down by strong winds. According to Italian news agency Ansa, heavy rains also hit the eastern Veneto region, where bad weather swept areas around the cities of Belluno and Vicenza, as well as parts of Tuscany, where falling trees were also reported. While rain and gales pounded the north, temperatures remained close to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in much of southern and central Italy, including in Rome. Much of Europe has sweltered in an early summer heatwave which officials have linked to at least eight deaths on the continent. (Reporting by Sara Rossi; Writing by Angelo Amante; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Hindustan Times
26-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Celebrities converge on Venice for Bezos-Sanchez wedding gala
By Sara Rossi and Gabriele Pileri Celebrities converge on Venice for Bezos-Sanchez wedding gala VENICE -Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez began three days of lavish wedding celebrations in Venice on Thursday with tight security shielding their VIP guests from protesters. Bill Gates, Orlando Bloom and the Queen of Jordan were among the latest arrivals, joining Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian. U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who showed up on Tuesday, have used the extra time for sightseeing and shopping. Some 200-250 A-listers from show business, politics and finance are expected to take part in what has been widely dubbed "wedding of the century", estimated to cost around $50 million. The event has stirred a debate about its impact on one of the world's most beautiful cities, with protesters seeing it as an example of Venice being gift-wrapped for ultra-rich outsiders, but others enjoying the spectacle and the spending. An activist climbed one of the poles in the main St Mark's Square on Thursday, unfurling a banner with the words "The 1% ruins the world" to protest against the presence of the billionaire Bezos in Venice. Guests were gathering on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central district of Cannaregio that hosts masterpieces by 16th century painter Tintoretto. The city council banned pedestrians and water traffic from the area from 4.30 p.m. until midnight, to provide security and seclusion for the partygoers. LUXURY CANALSIDE HOTEL Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, landed in Venice via helicopter on Wednesday and took up residence in the luxury Aman hotel, where rooms with a view of the Grand Canal go for at least 4,000 euros per night. They are set to exchange vows on Friday on the small island of San Giorgio, opposite St Mark's Square, in a ceremony which, according to a senior City Hall official, will have no legal status under Italian law. Some have speculated that the couple have already legally wed in the United States, sparing them from the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage. Celebrations will conclude on Saturday with the main wedding bash to be held at one of the halls of the Arsenale, a vast former medieval shipyard turned into an art space in the eastern Castello district. The "No Space for Bezos" movement is planning further demonstrations against an event they see as a sell-off of Venice, but by no means are all the locals hostile. MONEY-SPINNER Politicians, hoteliers and other residents say high-end events, rather than multitudes of low-spending daytrippers, are a better way to support the local economy, and dismiss the protesters as a fringe minority. "If you look at what concretely the Bezos wedding brings for the good of Venice, there are only advantages and no disadvantages," Mattia Brandi, a local tour leader, told Reuters. "If anything is different, it is because of the protesters ... They don't realise that it is them who are disrupting the quiet life of the city," he added. Venice has hosted scores of VIP weddings. U.S. actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin tied the knot there in 2014, and Indian billionaires Vinita Agarwal and Muqit Teja did so in 2011, without significant disruptions. Bezos, executive chair of e-commerce giant Amazon and No. 4 on Forbes' billionaires list, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie Scott. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Star
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Italy's Moltiply sues Google in 3 billion euro lawsuit over market dominance
FILE PHOTO: A Google logo is seen at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, U.S., November 1, 2018. REUTERS/ Stephen Lam/File Photo MILAN (Reuters) -Italy's Moltiply Group said on Friday it was suing Alphabet's Google and seeking damages of 2.97 billion euros ($3.34 billion) for abuse of its dominant market position as previously recognised by the EU Court of Justice. Moltiply operates the popular Italian price comparison website Its claim argues that Google's actions hindered the growth of its subsidiary 7Pixel between 2010 and 2017, favouring Google Shopping instead, Moltiply said in a statement. The claim was filed at a Milan court, Italian daily Corriere della Sera said without giving further details. "We disagree strongly with these exorbitant private damages claims which disregard this successful and growing industry," a spokesperson for Google said in a statement in response to a Reuters request for comment. The European Commission fined Google, the world's most popular internet search engine, in 2017 for using its own price comparison shopping service to gain an unfair advantage over smaller European rivals. In September, the company lost a final appeal against the 2.42 billion euro fine. "The changes Google made in 2017 following the European Commission's decision are working as intended and the number of comparison shopping sites in Europe using our shopping features has multiplied from just 7 to more than 1,550", the Google spokesperson added. ($1 = 0.8894 euros) (Reporting by Sara Rossi, Elvira Pollina, editing by Alvise Armellini, Kirsten Donovan)
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's 20% tariff clouds future of Italian wines in US
By Sara Rossi VERONA, Italy (Reuters) - The outlook for Prosecco, Brunello di Montalcino and other Italian wines in the United States is increasingly gloomy, producers and importers said, following President Donald Trump's imposition of a 20% tariff on European imports. Italy exports more wine to the U.S. than any other country. Last year, it sold 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) worth of wines, spirits and vinegars in the U.S. market, a quarter of its total worldwide exports, according to trade group Federvini. Italian producers and U.S. importers gathered at a wine fair in Verona, in the north-eastern Veneto region this weekend, said business had already been hit by the fear of U.S. tariffs and things could only get worse as they come fully into effect. Under the announced levies, Italian wine revenues would fall by some 323 million euros per year, said Lamberto Frescobaldi, chairman of the Italian Wine Union lobby. Wine traders and producers are pinning their hopes on a deal between Europe and the U.S. to scrap or reduce the tariffs. "Hopefully, the EU will not retaliate - a trade war would be difficult to navigate," Simone Luchetti, president of U.S. importer Banville, told Reuters at the Vinitaly fair in Verona. While the sector was spared the 200% tariff Trump had threatened to impose, it remains a threat if European counter-measures target U.S. spirits, such as bourbon whiskey. CONSUMPTION TO PLUNGE Luchetti - who imports Brunello, Amarone, Prosecco and Barolo among others - estimated a 25-35% drop in U.S. consumption and in Banville's revenues under current tariffs. Other importers warned that some wine brands would disappear from the U.S. market as consumers looked for cheaper bottles. "If the price of a wine increases, consumers will probably leave that brand. They will rather stay within their preferred price range," said Charles Lazzara, founder of U.S. buyer Volio Imports. Under the announced levies the cost of a bottle of mid-range Prosecco, Lazzara said, would rise from $10.99 to $12.99 in U.S. shops. Luchetti echoed those concerns. "It will probably become difficult to sell Prosecco bottles which today cost $14-18 because their price will rise to $20," Luchetti said. The U.S. tariffs also worried Italian producer Marilisa Allegrini, founder of the Marilisa Allegrini Group, which produces 840,000 bottles per year, including Brunello di Montalcino, Bolgheri, Valpolicella and Amarone. "Wine consumption in the U.S. was already in crisis, and tariffs have hit it further," she said. Some Italian producers, however, were more upbeat, saying U.S. drinkers love Italian wines and are unlikely to replace them with cheaper alternatives, despite the tariffs. "Prosecco can only be produced in Italy, especially in Veneto - it can't be replaced!" said Giancarlo Moretti-Polegato, owner of Villa Sandi, a prosecco producer based in the hills of Montebelluna, in the Veneto region.($1 = 0.9059 euros)
